Toro Rosso secures Renault engine deal

Renault has confirmed that it has agreed a deal that will see it supply engines to Toro Rosso for the 2014 F1 season.

The Red Bull junior team has run with Ferrari power since 2007, when it took over the engine contract that Red Bull had with the Italian marque prior to switching to Renault engines itself.

Ahead of the new engine regulations that come into play next year, a deal has now been reached that will see both Red Bull teams utilising Renault Sport F1's new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, with the existing agreement between the engine supplier and the Red Bull senior team having also been extended.

The length of the deal, described as one that make 'perfect sense strategically' for both Red Bull and Renault, hasn't been announced, although the senior Red Bull team will continue to act as the development partner for the new V6 engine.

“While it is logical we would discuss supplying Toro Rosso based on our partnership with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, it was not a foregone conclusion,” Renault Sport F1 president Jean-Michel Jalinier said. “We carefully considered what is best for all parties before concluding the agreement. Toro Rosso is a well-run, established team, with strong personnel and facilities giving the team the potential to be a regular points contender.

“Renault remains involved in F1 to win and demonstrate the excellence of its products. To achieve our aims we need to have teams functioning at the highest level, which is why we are delighted to sign with Toro Rosso.

“Off track it will also enable us to further promote the association with the Red Bull brand to our customers worldwide. We look forward to creating a long and multi-level relationship with Toro Rosso, just as we have with Infiniti Red Bull Racing.”

Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost meanwhile said he was pleased to be able to confirm the agreement, with the early nature of the announcement giving the team plenty of time to prepare for the 2014 campaign.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement to use Renault power units from the 2014 season onwards, when the new regulations will present interesting challenges,” he said. “It is particularly important that we have managed to finalise our plans early, so that we can be as well prepared as possible for next year.

“While looking forward to working with Renault, I would also like to thank Ferrari, our engine supplier since 2007. They have provided us with an extremely effective and reliable engine and an excellent service."

Tost added that he felt the move to Renault would give Toro Rosso the chance to make forward progress up the grid, while also reducing some of its development costs in the long-term.

“History shows us how successful Renault has been in Formula 1, with over 150 Grands Prix wins, not to mention taking the last three titles with Infiniti Red Bull Racing," he continued. "I believe Renault will come up with a very powerful and efficient package to suit the new regulations and we want to be part of this.

"In addition, the use of the Renault engine will allow us to enjoy synergies with Red Bull Technology, as we will run their gearbox from 2014 onwards and that will help us reduce costs as we will have no need to develop our own.

"Our engineers have already had meetings with Renault, sharing information about working practices and now that the agreement has been signed, we will continue these meetings to deal with the very complicated technologies involved in next year's power package.”